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A Model for Dry Deposition of Atmospheric Micro- andNanoplastic Fibers
Summary
Researchers developed a mechanistic dry deposition model for atmospheric microplastic and nanoplastic fibers, incorporating fiber-specific drag corrections and shape-dependent diffusivity, and found that micro-nano transition fibers around 1 µm persist in the boundary layer for over four months due to their low deposition velocity.
Atmospheric microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs), particularly fibers, are emerging contaminants with complex deposition dynamics that remain poorly understood. Here, a mechanistic dry deposition model is developed for MNP fibers, integrating gravitational settling, Brownian diffusion, impaction, and interception. The model incorporates fiber-specific drag corrections and shape-dependent diffusivity to estimate total deposition velocity across a range of particle lengths and aspect ratios. Results show that total deposition velocity deviates significantly from gravitational settling alone, especially for submicron fibers. Global simulations reveal strong spatial and seasonal variability driven by land cover and turbulence. Atmospheric lifetime estimates based on dry deposition indicate that micro – nano transition fibers (∼ 1 μm) persist longest in the boundary layer, with dry-deposition lifetimes exceeding four months (∼ 2,900 h). This framework supports the integration of MNP fibers into existing aerosol dry-deposition schemes in regional and global atmospheric models and improves predictions of their environmental fate.